Mazda is speeding up the process of electrifying its product range by announcing plans for many eco-friendly cars due to be launched between 2022 and 2025. In this interval, five hybrid models and five plug-in hybrid models will be introduced, along with three cars that will do away with the combustion engine altogether. In addition, mild-hybrid powertrains will remain part of the lineup.
These new hybrids and EVs coming out before the middle of the decade will focus on Europe, United States, China, Japan, and the ASEAN region. The new electrified products will help Mazda reach its target for 2030 when it believes 25% of its models will be EVs and the rest of them will be various types of hybrids.
An equally important announcement made today by Mazda refers to an all-new dedicated EV platform. It will be ready by 2025 when the first zero-emissions car riding on the architecture will be launched, with these underpinnings bound to be used by a variety of cars in different body styles and sizes. All these new models will be coming out from the middle of the decade until 2030 to help the company on its path to achieving carbon neutrality by 2050.
The long-awaited return of the rotary engine will finally happen next year, but instead of being put to good use in an RX-badged sports car, it will serve as a range extender. First launched as a purely electric crossover, the MX-30 went on to spawn a hybrid version and will soon receive the rotary setup. Speaking of sports cars, it remains to be seen what will happen to the MX-5 roadster, but it’s likely going to feature some sort of electrification to meet increasingly stringent emissions regulations.
In the same press release published today, Mazda says it’s working on a high-tech autonomous driving system due in 2022 when the company’s first batch of next-gen large cars will be released, complete with a rear-wheel-drive platform and inline-six engines. The Japanese company vows to constantly improve this system to upgrade its capabilities and automatically turn on autonomous driving if the human driver is no longer able to control the car in a safe manner. The car will come to a halt on its own at a safe place and even place an emergency call.
Source: Mazda
